Alycia Lane Sues Former Co-Anchor

PHILADELPHIA (CN) – Alycia Lane, who lost her job at KYW-TV3 News in a widely publicized case, claims her jealous co-anchor, Lawrence Mendte, hacked into her computer repeatedly and leaked personal information to the media, costing her her job. She demands punitive damages for defamation, conspiracy and privacy invasion.

Lane also sued CBS, station manager Michael Colleran, the Philadelphia Daily News, and News gossip columnist San Gross. She claims she was defamed after her Dec. 16, 2007 arrest in New York City. Lane denies the allegations made in that arrest, which “include, but are not limited to, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and making a derogatory slur.” Among the allegations Lane makes are that KYW and Mendte exploited her “personal life for the financial benefit of KYW-TC, over the plaintiff’s objection and against her wishes”. In the spring of 2004, Lane says, “KYW-TV, with the encouragement of Mendte, sought to exploit the plaintiff by sending the plaintiff to Los Angeles to interview television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, and suggesting to her that she discuss with Dr. Phil some of the plaintiff’s previous failed relationships which, to that point, had not been public information. The plaintiff did as she was asked, with the understanding that the tape of the interview would subsequently be reviewed for content, and that inappropriate personal segments would be deleted prior to its airing by KYW-TV. “After the interview, the plaintiff explained to KYW-TV that she was mortified by the interview, which resulted in revealing her personal history during the interview, and explained that she was emotional and crying while revealing such private information to a medical doctor. The plaintiff voiced severe discomfort and that she felt humiliated. The plaintiff asked KYW-TV not to air the segment on television. KYW-TV refused the plaintiff’s request. “KYW-TV did not merely air the Dr. Phil segment over the plaintiff’s objection. Instead, KYW-TV insisted on an unprecedented advertising campaign to promote the Dr. Phil segment, and then aired the Dr. Phil interview on a two-night segment, entitled ‘Demons of Divorce'”. Lane says the shows made her a tabloid news item and demeaned her professional reputation, “as someone who sought to make herself the news, rather than to merely report the news. The great irony in all of this was that the plaintiff never wanted to do the story in the first place …” The download of this complaint cuts off after 120 pages. Lane is represented by Paul Rosen with Spector, Gadon & Rosen.